Verde Valley Medical Center is hosting a Parkinson’s disease support group Friday, Nov. 14, Conference Rooms B & C,
4-6 p.m. The special topic will be swallowing and cognitive issues.

Parkinson’s disease belongs to a group of conditions called movement disorders. It is both chronic and progressive, meaning its symptoms grow worse and continue over time. Some common symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremor of the hands, arms, legs or jaw; rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; slowness of movement; and postural instability or impaired balance and coordination. As many as one million Americans suffer from Parkinson’s disease, and 40,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. An estimated 15 percent of these are diagnosed before age 50.

There is no charge for the support group which will be facilitated by Kim Mills, one of the VVMC EntireCare Rehab & Sports Medicine department’s speech language pathologists. The meeting is open to patients, family members, caregivers and anyone interested in learning about Parkinson’s disease. For more information, please call Mills at 639-6383.